Dell’s Latitude XT3 goes up for pre-order, swivels your way September 22nd

Are you a fancy suit, known to occasionally dabble in the fine art of scribbling? Have a seat bud, because Dell’s gone and put up a pre-order page for the touchscreen convertible that you’ve been waiting for: the Latitude XT3. When we last espied the drop-top in February, we came away mighty impressed with its spiffy 13.3-inch dual-digitizer display, which recognized the attached stylus in addition to three of our meaty digits. We also liked the inclusion of the Core i3 — upgradeable to an i5 or i7 — which packs a punch, unlike the miserly Core 2 Duo’s found in its predecessors. The magnesium-reinforced piece of kit starts at $1,789, unless you have it your way and toss in the optional $49 backlit keyboard or spring for the $100 outdoor-viewing display. We’ll take ours with both, and with a ship date of September 22nd, you’ve got plenty of time to get a customizin’ at the source below.

Dell’s Latitude XT3 goes up for pre-order, swivels your way September 22nd originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 06:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos’ Arnova 7 G2 and 10 G2 tablets launch in Hong Kong, taste like Gingerbread

It looks like Archos’ summer of the sequels is just heating up. Less than a week ago, we spied the outfit’s 8-incher at the FCC, and now our brethren at Engadget Chinese are offering up a hands-on with two more second-gen Arnovas: the Arnova 7 G2 and 10 G2. These made-over slates best their predecessors with Gingerbread and capacitive touchscreens. The original 7-inch tablet ran Froyo while its big brother came with Eclair; both sported resistive displays. The pair will also see a spec bump in the processor department, with the inclusion of a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 — likely the same processor found in their 8-inch sibling. While we do have Hong Kong pricing — HK$1,680 (or $215 US) and HK$1,980 (about $250 US) — we’ve yet to land a release date. So, for now, we’ll just stick with “coming soon to a retailer near you?” If the wait is too much to bear, hop on past the break for some hands-on love from our Chinese counterparts.

Archos’ Arnova 7 G2 and 10 G2 tablets launch in Hong Kong, taste like Gingerbread originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photovoltaic polarizers could make self-charging smartphone dreams come true

There’s nothing worse than losing the charge on your iPhone at the company picnic. But fear not, you won’t be stranded Twitter-less next to the potato salad if UCLA’s new energy recycling LCD technology ever makes it to market. According to its inventors, the traditional LCD polarization process loses as much as 75 percent of light energy — something that eats around 80 to 90 percent of the device’s power. By using polarizing organic photovoltaic cells, however, the LCD-packing gizmo can recycle its own lost backlight energy, keeping itself charged for longer. What’s really cool is these cells can recycle indoor or outdoor light as well, so you will essentially never lose a charge — or have to speak to another human IRL again. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Photovoltaic polarizers could make self-charging smartphone dreams come true

Photovoltaic polarizers could make self-charging smartphone dreams come true originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch out Farmville, Kno’s bringing Textbooks to Facebook

Now this is clever. Adorable education / tech company Kno may not have had the best start in life, what with its large (and largely unsuccessful) dual-screen tablet and the subsequent sell-off of its hardware division. Since those dark days, Kno has reinvented itself as a software company, bringing an educational e-book store to the iPad and now opening up the market by going for the big one: any student with a Facebook account. All you have to do is add the Kno app to your Facebook profile and you get full access to the store, including the option to rent rather than buy the textbooks you need (all of which must be read in-browser). At the moment the service lacks the more interactive features common to the iPad but they’re said to be “coming.” What’s clear is the potential such a move has, now we have to wait and see if studying can actually trump watering your pretend broccoli.

Watch out Farmville, Kno’s bringing Textbooks to Facebook originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cablevision and Viacom settle lawsuit over live TV on iPad

Well, that was anticlimactic. Viacom quickly sued Cablevision after the Optimum for iPad (now on iPhone and iPod Touch) app launched and allowed cable customers to stream the entire channel lineup on their tablets, but now they’ve resolved that and “an unrelated business matter”. Viacom’s case against Time Warner’s similar offering is on hold while they also try to work out a deal, but Cablevision’s stance from the start is that its approach fell within the existing agreements and they appear to have gotten their way. Just like most other channel carriage disputes, it was likely a deal on the supposedly unrelated issue that got things moving, but as long as we can keep watching Teen Mom in the kitchen, bathroom or out on the patio it doesn’t really matter. Check the official statement from both companies after the break.

Continue reading Cablevision and Viacom settle lawsuit over live TV on iPad

Cablevision and Viacom settle lawsuit over live TV on iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Iconia Smart arrives in September, doesn’t apologize for being late

Five months is a very long time to wait for the large-handed smartphone addict, but finally there is some good news, everybody! We previewed Acer’s massive 4.8-inch phone / tablet hybrid back in February and it looked like it would arrive in the U.S. sometime in April. It’s now August and and according to Acer’s Facebook page, we still have a month to wait. The phoneblet (Yes, there’s already a name) retains the same specs we heard about in February: Snapdragon processor, twin cameras and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. When it finally does arrive, it’ll cost Europeans €499 — around $710.

[Thanks, Christof]

Acer Iconia Smart arrives in September, doesn’t apologize for being late originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP TouchPad price drop goes permanent (update: confirmed)

Pricing has long been one of our biggest concerns with HP’s webOS-tastic TouchPad. So, when the company offered up a $100 discount on the slate, things certainly seemed headed in the right direction. The drop was only tease, sadly, and the price went right back to normal levels two days later. Apparently consumers liked the price cut as well, and HP, in turn, liked that, moving the company to implement the reduction on a more permanent basis. This is according to a reported internal memo from the company highlighting the decision to permanently price the 16GB and 32GB WiFi versions of the tablet at $399 and $499 “effective immediately.”

Update: We just heard back from an HP representative, who confirmed the pricing is indeed legit and in fact is in effect on HP’s site.

[Thanks all]

HP TouchPad price drop goes permanent (update: confirmed) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech trots out another keyboard case, this time for the Galaxy Tab 10.1

You might have noticed that accessory makers have a habit of churning out stuff for iDevices first and everything else second. Specifically, though, we’re noticing that in the world of tablets, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is fast becoming companies’ No. 2 once they’ve gotten the iPad squared away. Take Logitech, for example. The company just announced a keyboard case for Samsung’s deliciously thin slate — a near facsimile of the one it released for the iPad a few months back. To recap, this isn’t your garden-variety folio case with a keyboard and kickstand, but rather, an aluminum lid with a full ‘board lining the interior. Logitech also attempts to justify the steep $99.99 price with shortcut keys for copying and pasting and cushioned corners that offer a modicum of protection in the event of a drop. But does that make it worth it? We’ll leave that to your and your wallet.

Logitech trots out another keyboard case, this time for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s Samsung complaint reveals it’s also suing Motorola over the Xoom

Yes, we’ve now reached the point in the ongoing Apple v. Samsung brouhaha where we’re having lawsuits revealed within lawsuits. As spotted by FOSS Patents blocking sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe also contained a brief passage indicating that Apple is suing Motorola over the decidedly tablet-like Xoom as well. What’s not clear, however, is whether Apple is also seeking an injunction against Motorola to block sales of the Xoom, but Mueller suggests that is indeed likely (Apple has also reportedly sued and received an injunction against local German tablet manufacturer JAY-tech). Of course, Apple and Motorola are no strangers to legal entanglements, but this is the first time we’ve seen things spread beyond phones to tablets.

Apple’s Samsung complaint reveals it’s also suing Motorola over the Xoom originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TabCo answers your tablet questions with more questions

How to differentiate your tablet in an already severely overcrowded marketplace? Well, you could simply launch the best device out there — or you could embark on a mystery campaign, answering a curious populace with cagey responses. Whoever is behind the TabCo tablet claims to have done both. The company, thus far best known for a series of befuddling YouTube videos, is set to make a full reveal on Monday. In the meantime, a representative has taken to gdgt to answer questions about the product — sort of. There are bits and pieces of information scattered here and there, but the responses are mostly attempts not to “spoil” anything, followed by a promise that more will be revealed on August 15th.

Here’s what the company will say, starting with the simplest first: TabCo is short for “Tablet Company,” a business set to launch a new tablet in the US this month, followed by a roll out in some European countries come September. The company won’t say whether the product is running some version of Android, but has promised that, whatever the OS is, the final form of the product will “offer a new way to interact with your device,” including a “predictive UI” that apparently knows what you want to search for and buy before you tell it. The tablet has an SD slot, 3G and WiFi, and a “unique” physical design and resolution. There’s no 3D or HTC Flyer-style pen functionality on the thing, however. Oh, and the build quality? TabCo says it’s “as good or better than Nokia and Apple devices.”

So, what is it? The new tablet from the people who brought you the Tabasco line of hot sauces? A big Improv Everywhere-style prank? An actual, you know, tablet? Lots and lots of viral-type videos for the international tablet of mystery after the break. And feel free to speculate your guts out in the comments

Continue reading TabCo answers your tablet questions with more questions

TabCo answers your tablet questions with more questions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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